Cavs players put up strong night ... until bitter end

CLEVELAND — The shorthanded Cavs had plenty of guys step up for 47 minutes. Unfortunately, most people will only remember the final 57 seconds where Indiana rallied from a seven-point deficit to steal Game 2 from Cleveland 120-119 at Rocket Arena on Tuesday evening. The best-of-seven series shifts to Indiana for the next two games with Game 3 on Friday at 7:30 p.m., putting the Cavs' season on life support as they trail 2-0. "I would say collectively we ran out of gas and they just turned it up," Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. "That's the playoffs. I'm not complaining about it. The refs did a good job, we just have to play through fouling and holding. We just didn't have the force left." Max Strus delivered his best performance this postseason with 23 points, including what looked like a dagger 3-pointer that put Cleveland up 117-110 with 1:06 left. He shot 5-of-12 from 3-point range to go with eight rebounds and four assists. But he also had a critical turnover with 27 seconds left that led to Tyrese Haliburton drawing a foul. Indiana's star split the pair, got his own offensive rebound, dribbled out and buried the game-winning 3-pointer in the final two seconds. "It wasn't enough," Strus said. "We've got to find a way to win. It's going to be a challenge, we'll see if we're tough enough. A minute left, up seven, you can't lose that game. Just got to be better." The injury bug stung Cleveland hard Sunday. Forwards Evan Mobley — who received his NBA Defensive Player of the Year award prior to Game 1 — and De'Andre Hunter both sustained injuries during the 121-112 loss. Mobley sprained his left ankle and Hunter dislocated his right thumb. Dean Wade started in place of Mobley, but it was Jarrett Allen who filled the void with 22 points and 12 rebounds with three assists and three blocks. Cleveland also called on Javonte Green and Craig Porter Jr. to help fill out Hunter's minutes. Both have played sparingly this postseason, with the exception of Cleveland's 138-83 Game 4 blowout against Miami where 13 players saw at least 12 minutes. Green saw about 10 minutes while Porter only played for 3:42, but both had their moments. Green forced a travel on his first possession and Porter secured a steal at halfcourt that he ran back for a dunk. "My only regret is not playing more guys," Atkinson said. "We shortened the rotation, obviously. That's my sole regret, but I loved how we competed. We played our basketball, our identity, just a tough one." Cleveland was again without All-Star point guard Darius Garland, who missed his fourth straight game nursing a sprained left toe he sustained in Cleveland's Game 2 win against the Miami Heat on April 23. Sam Merrill had been starting in place of Garland for the first three games, but Atkinson slid Ty Jerome into the starting lineup Tuesday. Merrill responded with his best game of the postseason, scoring 14 points and shooting 4-of-9 from 3-point range. "It sucks, obviously," Merrill said. "It hurts and it's going to hurt tonight. But we have to come back tomorrow and see what we can do better and try to find a way to win Game 3." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.